Title: Vulnerability assessment of seawater intrusion using hydro-geological indices in Moroccan Mediterranean aquifers

Authors: Abdou Khouakhi; Saida Niazi; Otmane Raji; Ahmed Nasreddine El Fahchouch

Addresses: Department of Earth Science, Faculty of Science, University Mohammed V, Avenue Ibn Battuta Rabat – Agdal, PB1014, Morocco ' Department of Earth Science, Faculty of Science, University Mohammed V, Avenue Ibn Battuta Rabat – Agdal, PB1014, Morocco ' Department of Earth Science, Faculty of Science, University Mohammed V, Avenue Ibn Battuta Rabat – Agdal, PB1014, Morocco ' Department of Earth Science, Faculty of Science, University Mohammed V, Avenue Ibn Battuta Rabat – Agdal, PB1014, Morocco

Abstract: Climate change will pose a major water management challenge in the Mediterranean Basin. One of the most visible consequences of climate change is sea water intrusion (SWI) in coastal aquifers due to sea level rise (SLR). The present work aims to assess the relative vulnerability to SWI using hydro-geological parameters for the three most important Mediterranean coastal aquifers in Morocco. The extent of the vulnerability to SWI was simulated for current conditions and also considering an assumed 0.5 m SLR using the GALDIT index, following an integrated GIS approach. We find that the three aquifers are subject to a moderate to high risk for at least half of the total aquifer area. For an assumed SLR of 0.5 m, the surface area of highly vulnerable aquifers will increase by two or three times in the three aquifers. The produced maps can be used as a management tool for the coastal ground water resources. We thus present some measures to control and protect these groundwater resources.

Keywords: coastal aquifers; seawater intrusion; geographical information systems; GIS; vulnerability mapping; GALDIT Index; Mediterranean aquifers; Morocco; vulnerability assessment; hydrogeology; water management; climate change; sea level rise; simulation; groundwater protection.

DOI: 10.1504/IJHST.2015.070087

International Journal of Hydrology Science and Technology, 2015 Vol.5 No.2, pp.133 - 148

Received: 15 Jul 2014
Accepted: 07 Feb 2015
Published online: 26 Jun 2015 *

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